Mariana - Gibson Brothers

I have a few singles by the Gibson Brothers, but so far, every single I bought were songs that I was familiar with. Not so with 'Mariana', my latest catch. The single was released in 1980 and became a hit in Germany, Finland and the UK only. In the UK it was actually their third biggest hit, peaking at number 11. ('Ooh, what a life' reached number 10 and 'Que sera mi vida' no. 5.) 

'Mariana' was the lead single from the brothers' fifth album On the riviera. It is a repetitive track. In my opinion, the soulful 'All I ever want is you' is more melodious and engaging.

My collection: 7" single no. 8327
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Mariana' / 'All I ever want is you' 

Love enough for two - Prima Donna

The sleeve of this German version of the single 'Love enough for two' is a vast improvement over the Dutch version, which I bought in 2009. It's full colour! How wonderful! 

The group was formed around former New Seekers member Danny Finn. Sisters Kate Robbins and Jane Robbins (nieces of Paul McCartney), Sally Ann Triplett, Alan Coates, and Lance Aston (brother of Jay Aston, who performed with Bucks Fizz, the winners of the contest the following year) completed the lineup. Two days before the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 in The Hague, Kate Robbins lost her voice due to a bout of flu. She was ordered to rest her voice until the performance on Saturday evening. The song ended up in third place in the competition.

Triplett returned to the Eurovision Song Contest in 1982 as half of the group Bardo. Danny Finn passed away after a short illness on February 22, 2016, at the age of 71. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8326
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Love enough for two' / 'Missing out on love' 

Let me be the one - The Shadows

Originally, the BBC asked then-superstar Gary Glitter to represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. He was willing to comply on the condition that he would write his own song. This went against the wishes of the BBC, which wanted to rely on experienced songwriters. Apparently, requests were also made to David Essex and the band Slade, who refused. And so they turned to The Shadows. The band had broken up in 1968 but reunited shortly thereafter. For their Eurovision performance, original members Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch, and Brian Bennett were joined by John Farrar, who took the place of John Rostill, who had died on November 26, 1973.

It wasn't the first time the British entry finished in second place – and it certainly wouldn't be the last. I bought the French pressing of 'Let me be the one' in December 2009. This week I added the German one!

My collection: 7" single no. 8325
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Let me be the one' / 'Stand up like a man' 

 

Time to let go - Eddy Grant

Much to my surprise, I already owned both tracks on this single - but both as B-sides of other singles. 'Time to let go' was released in 1984 as the B-side of 'Boys in the street' and 'California style' became the B-side of 'Till I can't take love no more' in 1983.

However, this single was released in 1981 and was never a hit. The album Can't Get Enough, from which the track was taken, was actually the first of his albums to chart in the UK. It was actually his sixth studio album.

My collection: 7" single no. 8324
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany)
Tracks: 'Time to let go' / 'California style' 

I wantcha' back - Delegation

While I was going through hundreds of singles, the title '12th house' leapt out at me. I am, of course, familiar with that title, because it is a track by New Musik from the early Eighties. And I am also familiar with the version by Delegation, because I bought it four years ago.

However, this single is a bit more interesting because it actually has a picture sleeve and a different A-side. 'I wantcha' back' is a good example of the sort of 'soul/dance' track that was popular in the Eighties. It's actually fun to add this single to my collection. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8323
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'I wantcha' back' / '12th house' 

Hold me now - Thompson Twins

A long, long time ago I bought the picture disc of the Thompson Twins' 'Hold me now'. When I saw the regular single - a German pressing - a few days ago I realized that I never bought it, and for just 1 euro, I couldn't pass it up. It was also the start of a "crate digging" session, if I can call it that. I visited a shop just across the border in Germany with the aim of buying as much singles as I wanted to buy, and this was a good start. 

'Emotionally, it was written as the result of some argument that was resolved between Alannah and myself', explained Tom Bailey in an interview. 'We actually decided, well, this is an interesting emotional subject. What it feels like to get back together again after separation and the kind of ideas that come up and the way that emotion and physicality somehow are brought together.'

My collection: 7" single no. 8322
Found: Gaga Music, Goch (Germany), 15 July 2026
Tracks: 'Hold me now' / 'Let loving start'

Stand up - Howard Jones

For the first time since 1998, Howard Jones has released a single on 7" vinyl! The single came out last week and landed in my mailbox on Saturday. 'Stand up' is a short track but with a very long intro. As usual, the song comes with an uplifting message from its writer.

'Stand up' draws from Rev. Jesse Jackson’s 1972 poem 'Stand up, black man', which Jones read after Jackson passed away in February. 'I wasn’t familiar with the poem', he explained in a recent interview, 'so I looked it up online and was very inspired to write something along those lines: "Stand up. You are somebody. Don’t let no one put you down".'

My collection: 7" single no. 8321
Found: Cherry Red website, received 11 July 2026
Tracks: 'Stand up' / 'The prisoner (live)'